PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
A project manager is leading a software development project in an organization that uses a hybrid methodology. The team's sprint velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. Which THREE actions should the PM take to address this? (Choose three)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse symptom relief (overtime or lengthening sprints) with root cause resolution, failing to recognize that sustainable pace and empirical process control are core to Agile and hybrid frameworks.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Review the team's estimation techniques and ensure they are accurate
Inaccurate estimation techniques can lead to consistently missed velocity targets. By reviewing and recalibrating estimation methods (e.g., story points, planning poker), the PM ensures the team's capacity is realistically measured, which is critical for sprint planning in a hybrid methodology.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Review the team's estimation techniques and ensure they are accurate
Why this is correct
A perceived drop in velocity often stems from initial over-optimistic or inaccurate estimations rather than a true decrease in team productivity. By reviewing and refining estimation techniques, such as using relative sizing, planning poker, or historical data, the project manager can help the team establish more realistic expectations for sprint commitments. This ensures that the reported velocity more accurately reflects the team's actual capacity and progress, leading to better predictability and stakeholder trust.
- ✓
Remove impediments that are slowing the team down
Why this is correct
As a servant leader, the project manager's primary responsibility is to facilitate the team's work by identifying and actively removing any impediments or blockers that hinder progress. These obstacles, whether technical, organizational, or resource-related, directly impact the team's flow and can significantly reduce their actual velocity. Proactively addressing and resolving these issues ensures the team can maintain focus and maximize their productivity, thereby improving overall project delivery.
- ✗
Ask the team to work overtime to catch up
Why it's wrong here
While seemingly a quick fix, consistently asking a team to work overtime is an unsustainable practice that often leads to burnout, decreased morale, and a reduction in the quality of work over time. It can mask underlying issues within the project, such as poor planning or scope creep, rather than addressing them. A PMP prioritizes long-term team health and sustainable pace over short-term, detrimental gains.
- ✗
Increase the sprint length to give the team more time
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the sprint length is generally counterproductive in an agile environment as it can mask underlying issues, such as scope creep or inefficient processes, rather than resolving them. It disrupts the established rhythm and cadence of the team, potentially delaying feedback loops and making it harder to inspect and adapt. Agile principles advocate for fixed-length sprints to maintain predictability and expose problems quickly for resolution.
- ✓
Conduct a root cause analysis during the next retrospective
Why this is correct
A retrospective is the appropriate forum for the team to collectively inspect their processes and adapt for future sprints. Conducting a structured root cause analysis during this event allows the team to delve beyond superficial symptoms to identify the fundamental reasons behind a perceived velocity drop or other performance issues. This collaborative problem-solving approach empowers the team to devise effective, sustainable solutions for continuous improvement.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
Key term
Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning is a time-boxed meeting at the start of a Scrum sprint where the team decides what work they can deliver and how they will do it.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PMP exam.